Practice Shot Examples

Today we explored and filmed a variety of practise shots which we believe would appear in our opening sequence. The main three we looked at were the handheld shot (HS), over the shoulder shot (OTSS) and close up (CS) as we were certain that these three would feature. We thought that the handheld shot would work successfully when filming the home videos. These videos will feature both Liam and Alfie in their natural surrounding (home) which makes them appear as realistic. I further feel as if this shot will work well due to the fact it will further make them appear as home videos as most videos which are filmed at home don't tend to use a tripod. One other shot we are hoping to feature is the over the shoulder shot. I feel as if this shot could be used during the disappearance of Alfie during a game of hide and seek. As it focuses the viewer’s attention on Alfie running away and Liam counting. We had hoped to film this shot from different angles and edit them together creating continuity. A final shot which we explored was the close up. Our initial plan was to film shots of objects which present Alfie for example photos/ toys and place our titles over the top of these shots; including ‘directed by’ and ‘starring.’ I feel as if this activity was beneficial to us as we are now aware of the shots we are going to use for our opening sequence and the props and equipment we need to do so. 

Exploration of Camera Techniques

I studied the film Woman In Black from 2012 directed by James Watkins and starring Daniel Radcliff. The genre of this film is horror and appears as edgy and enigmatic throughout, this is due to the camerwork and shots used. This screen shot (middle) shows a medium long shot of three girls with The Woman In Black faint in the background. The facial expressions of the girls still appear as visible as we can see they are impassive. By The Woman In Blacks face being undetectable this reflects her character of being mysterious/unknown, therefore this relates well to the genre that the director is trying to create of horror. I find this shot effective as it shows a previous clip from a different angle, this reveals to the audience the questions they have been asking themselves throughout the film for example ‘Who are they looking at? Why are they doing that?’ By this clip being shown near the end of the film captures the audience’s attention throughout as they are questioning the actions of the characters. At this point in the film they learn The Woman In Black is the driving force behind the children’s death as she encourages them through the use of super natural powers. By The Woman In Black being visible but still not entirely clear focuses the audience’s attention on the three girls who are the ones which are under her possession. I think we will be able to use a similar clip in our production as the children in our film sequence are being possessed by the capturer through the use of whispering. However it is vague to the audience what it is that is being said. When we film our opening sequence I feel that if we were to replicate a shot like this is, it would be very effective as we would like to create a response similar to this in our audience. We are hoping that the with the lack of information shared with the viewer it will intrigue and encourage the viewer to continue watching to find out what’s happening and the story behind what is shown.

Another screen shot I looked at (left) was this over the shoulder shot of The Woman In Black shown in the opening sequence of the film. At first sight it’s not entirely clear. Viewers don’t tend to notice it when watching it first time round as it is a quick paced shot. I think this shot is effective as the Woman face isn’t visible to the camera, this creates suspense and uncertainty as the audience aren’t able to identify the woman and captures their attention as they become eager to find information about who this woman is and what she is hoping to achieve. I feel we could use a shot similar to this one in our opening sequence as we don’t want to reveal the identity of our capturer in the scene. I think it would be suitable and successful if we were to use a shot similar to this but for a different effect when we our opening sequence, as during our sequence Liam looks blankly at the camera. This will hopefully make the viewer question as to why he is looking so emotionless and It also adds to the effect of showing that Liam is distraught through the abduction of his brother and further shows his innocence.

The final shot I focused on (right) was this close up shot of a toy. This shot is effective as it enhances the children’s death and the toys are left alone, the condition of the toys emphasises how they haven’t been played with for a long time. There are no other characters visible in the shot which emphasises the toys being abandoned as children are always commonly playing with toys. I think we’d able to replicate a similar shot into our production as Alfie has gone missing we could show different shots toys around his bedroom, we could also possibly use this opportunity to play titles over these shots as they are similar shots and the viewer won’t be distracted by the footage to read them.

Link To Film: http://megashare.info/watch-the-woman-in-black-online-TkRReE1BPT0

Production Companies

When making the decision as to whether our film should be commercial or independent we considered a number of reasons. Big commercial production companies such as DreamWorks, Universal and Pixar are able to use high end equipment and editing software, they are able to create CGI (computer generated imagery) with editing software and create realistic dangerous stunts through the use of special props and setting. These films are often shown in the cinema and gain great popularity and positive reviews. Due to the fact we are limited to editing software and filming equipment we made the decision to produce our opening sequence under an independent production company. The company we chose to use was Film 4, a British film production company owned by Channel 4. This means that our film would not be shown in the cinema but would appear on the television. As we are limited to available equipment we are using a ‘Canon Legria Camcorder Plus’ camera and editing our footage in 'Adobe Premiere' we will use this equipment to the best of our knowledge in order to attain the best results possible. 

In order to further make our film appear as independent we created a new production company logo. We decided to call our production company ‘Take Two Productions’. We created our logo using Photoshop and when adding it to Adobe Premiere at a later date we will animate it with the use of sound effects and transitions. The name Take Two Productions is associated with television/film; hopefully this will become memorable for viewers. This could potentially enhance the viewer count also due to the fact people could inform their families/friends about the name. 

Progeny: Titles

When choosing the titles for our opening sequence we explored a variety of fonts in which fitted in with our genre of horror/thriller. We looked at both serif and san serif fonts in a variety of ways such as bold or italic. We mainly focused on the colours of red grey and black as they are considered to be dull gloomy colours. We eventually decided to present our film title ‘Progeny’ in the colour red. A common colour connotation the colour red has is danger therefore this why we chose this. We presented it against a plain black background so it appears as bold and stands out clearly. Nearer the time we will animate the title adding transitions and sound effects in Premiere. The font we used was called ‘You Murderer’ and we downloaded it from the internet. We feel this title follows the film conventions of a horror genre. 

For our other titles we decided upon the font ‘Pencil Pete’ which we also downloaded from the internet. We felt this font appears as written writing which interlinks with the camerawork of our opening sequence as drawings are featured numerous times. We made the decision for the font to be in white therefore it would clearly stand out when placed above the camerawork. These titles will include the people who contributed an input to the production for example ‘featuring, produced, directed etc.’ The titles in which were used in the opening sequence of psychological thriller ‘Se7en’ inspired us to select the titles we did as they appear as simple, however stand out bold and are easy to read.

Progeny: Sound

We chose this music below to be our non-diegetic soundtrack for our opening sequence; this is because it creates eeriness. Our aim is to create tension amongst the audience and make them feel uneasy when watching so. It gives them an opportunity to question what will occur later on in the film. It also gives the audience a sense of foreshadowing that something bad will soon occur. I feel this music will successfully create this atmosphere in which we hope to create. The use of this type of music is a typical convention of horror/thriller films. 

The music in which we are going planning to use we believe is similar to the soundtrack in the opening sequence of Sinister. We felt Sinister was an effecting horror as it creates the theme of horror well through the use of sound, camera shots and editing. I find this film successfully emphasises the genre of horror well in the opening sequence of the film. The footage shows a family of four being hanged from a tree; their faces are covered by sacks which hides their identity. This immediately creates mystery as it makes the viewer question 'who is it?' and 'who done it?’ and ‘for what reason?’ By the identity of the family being hidden encourages the viewer to continue to watch the rest of the film as they want to discover the answers to their questions? We are trying to create a sense of mystery in our opening scene as well; we want the viewers to question our opening sequence as they watch it. Questioning the footage shown commonly means they show an interest in what they are watching as they are intrigued to find out what happens next. The use of sound in Sinister creates a sense of foreshadowing as it plays adjacent to the clips shown. We hope this chosen music successfully creates a mysterious atmosphere in our opening sequence similar to Sinister. If we replicate this technique well I feel our opening sequence will be successful and meet the horror/thriller conventions.

Progeny: Locations

 The locations in which we have chosen to set our opening sequence in are a home and a field. For these locations we are opting on using a house which promotes a family life and The Green. We made the decision for a family home to appear in our opening sequence as it will show the characters (Liam and Alfie) in a realistic way and in their natural environment which accord to their characters. We made the decision to use The Green as our second location as we consider it to be an isolated, enclosed surrounding; we hope that by it being layout this way it is will add tension to our opening sequence as many films with a horror genre are located in an isolated, quiet surrounding. We also chose these locations to film in as they are in our hometown which works at our advantage as they are easily accessible. The Green is classed as a public place so we are never restricted to where we wish to film. Due to fact it is always available for public use we are easily able to re film any scenes if needs be. 

Progeny: Costumes

We considered a number of clothing options when choosing the costume for our practical production. We made the final decision to place both the teenage and infant boy in clothes in which typical males their age, culture and ethnicity would wear. Above is a selection of clothes in which the characters will wear in different scenes. The clothes for the teenage boy, Liam (on the left) are clothes in which a typical teenage boy from England would tend to wear as they are from popular clothing lines for that age range including River Island and Topman. By making the decision to dress the teenage boy in common clothing expresses that he is a regular teenager boy who leads a regular life, e.g. goes to school, and lives with parents. The clothes for the infant boy, Alfie (right) are also considered to be clothes which are typically worn by children of that age. Some of these clothes appear similar to Liam’s; we hope the audience will detect this feature as it indicates how he idolises him as he is copying his choice of clothing this further emphasises the close relationship which we are trying to create. 

Progeny: Characters

From left-right: David Deadman, Alfie Wells, Liam Hurley 

In our opening sequence we have two main characters. These two characters appear as brothers who share a positive close bond. One main character is called Liam who is played by Liam Hurley. Liam is a teenage boy who shares a strong relationship with his younger sibling Alfie. We as viewers can see Liam is clearly distraught when Alfie goes missing over the fields during a game of hide and seek. Liam is the immediate suspect for his disappearance and gets arrested and charged with ‘Child abduction.’ During our opening sequence we see Liam is oblivious to people who are trying to reach out to him and gain his attention. We also see clips which appear as Liam’s flashbacks which show the positive happy relationship they previously shared.  Through Liam’s actors performance of his facial expressions and gestures we as the audience see he is devastated about the loss of Alfie.

The other main character featured in our opening sequence is called Alfie, who is played by Alfie Wells. He is an infant who has the same interests as other young boys do e.g. playing with blocks/vehicles and playing football. He adores his older brother Liam and they spend a lot of time together. We can see through the use of Alfie’s costume and actor’s performance we can see how Alfie idolises his brother and enjoys spending a lot of time with him. On a day out with Liam we see how Alfie disappears during a game of hide and seek. It is not clear to the audience what has happened to him and where he is has gone. Once the sequence draws to an end there is a twist and we see Alfie in a new surrounding with a new unknown mysterious character in the background.One final character that is featured in our opening sequence is Policeman Waters played by David Deadman. The audience aren’t able to see the character visually however he is heard through a voiceover at different points in the sequence, for example in the arrest of Liam for the charge of child abduction and during a police interview which takes place regarding the arrest. We hope that it creates a contrast as its played over happy videos (both home and flashbacks) however it is a negative conversation.

Progeny: PowerPoint/Feedback

  

When we presented our PowerPoint to the class we received positive feedback and constructive criticism from both our teacher and peers; some of which being our target audience. One point which we received was that we had to become more aware of what we want to portray to the viewer as currently it’s doesn’t appear as clear enough. We decided from this that Liam must appear as innocent to the viewer so he isn’t suspected as to be the abductor of his brother, we will do this mainly by ensuring his actors performance demonstrates this. We were questioned as to whether we were planning to show the close relationship between the two brothers on screen and if so how did we hoped to achieve this. We had previously planned this, our initial idea was to feature home videos in the sequence which showed the powerful bond they shared these include both brothers playing toys together and Alfie receiving a present from his older brother. We will make it clear to the viewer that they are home videos by creating an overlay on the clips which included the words ‘REC’ and a flashing red button.

We were also given advice to consider using Barthes Enigma Codes to build tension and leave the end of the sequence on a cliff hanger to encourage the viewers to self-create questions about what happens next and encourage them to continue to watch the film. Now that we are fully aware of this technique we will ensure we enforce it in our opening sequence. We also received a number of questions involving the horror/thriller conventions. We plan to follow these conventions by leaving our opening sequence on a cliff hanger; we also plan to follow the conventions by the use of low key lighting. For example when we film the footage of the abduction it will appear to be in cold/gloomy weather conditions. We can relate this to the mood of the characters, this technique is called pathetic fallacy and is a very successful method if followed correctly. We have taken the feedback we received on board and are going to use it to continue to improve our ideas and production skills needed to create a successful production. 

Practical Production Scheduele

Progeny: Roles/Script

Roles

Camerawork and filming- Abbie Toynton and Emma Slater

Editing- Abbie Toynton and Emma SlaterTeenage Boy- Liam Hurley
Young Boy- Alfie Wells
Voiceovers- David Deadman and Liam Hurley

Script
Voiceover played over home videos with the addition of eerie music 
Policeman: Liam Hurley I am arresting you on suspicion of child abduction. You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.
Liam: No no it wasn't me

Voiceover played over flashbacks Liam has of the day Alfie went missing 
Policeman: This interview is being tape recorded and may be given in evidence if your case is brought to trial. The time is 2100 hours on Monday 12th October 2013. This interview is taking place at Hertford Police Station. My name is PC Waters. My role today is to interview you in relation to the abduction of Alfie Wells. Can you give your full name please?

Liam: Liam Hurley

Policeman: And your date of birth
Liam: 29^th Novemeber 1996
Policeman: Can you confirm for the purpose of the tape that there are no other persons present in the interview room
Liam: Yes I can confirm
Policeman: Do you require the services of a solicitor?
Liam: No, I didn’t do it why won’t anyone believe me
Policeman: Can you tell me where you were on Saturday 10^th October at approximately 1500 hours?
Liam: Over the local green with Alfie playing hide and seek
Policeman: So you let a six year old run of on his own?
Liam: Yes urm no it wasn't like that we were playing a game, I wouldn't put him in any danger (worried/concerned)
Policeman: But oh you did
Liam: I didn't do it no! (raised voice, can sense fear in his speech)

Progeny: Shot List

High Angle Shot- Liam and Alfie playing with train set

Shot Type Examples

Over The Shoulder Shot- Liam and Alfie playing with lego
High Angle Shot- Liam and Alfie playing with lego
Long Shot- Alfie opening a Christmas present from Liam
Zoom in to Medium Shot- Alfie opening a present
Medium Long Shot- Liam and Alfie eating lunch
High Angle Handheld Shot- Liam and Alfie drawing together on a chalkboard
Zoom In from Medium Shot to Close Up Shot- Showing Liam looking oblivious 
Medium Long Shot- Alfie Riding a Bike With Liam
High Angle Medium Shot- Alfie feeding the ducks

Long Shot- Liam and Alfie playing football
Over the Shoulder Shot- Of Liam and Alfie playing hide and seek
Medium Close up- of Liam Counting
Medium to Long Shot- Alfie running off to hide
Extreme Long Shot- Surroundings
Close up- Liam’s Face showing emotions to the viewer
Point Of View High Angle Shot- Alfie’s hat on the grass
Close Up Shot- Different possessions of Alfie’s
Close Up with slight Zoom In Shot- A picture Alfie is drawing 
Close Up Shot- Showing a man’s hand scribbling out his drawing
High Angle Shot- Alfie looking up worried

Progeny: Animatic

Target Audience

Before creating our opening sequence we must be able to understand the audience demographic. This will help us to understand who our film should be targeted at and what elements we should include in order to present this. After conducting research we made the decision to produce a thriller film. Our target audience is mainly going to be focused on older teenagers-young adults (age 15-25). Therefore we made the decision for our film to be rated age appropriate 15 due to scenes of possible violence and strong language. There have been a number of films which are Thrillers which have been very successfully for this age category and for 18+ for example Shutter Island, Fatal Attraction and Se7en; these films have got positive reviews and a high viewer count from the youth-young adult market. We decided to choose the age rating to be 15 as it broadens the market and gives our film the opportunity to become more up-and-coming. The main primary audience we are both males/females who are 15 plus to young adults; however we are specifically targeting males due the fact males are the ones that are typically drawn to thrillers. We can see this as they commonly appear to play video games which contain this for content for example Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty. There will be no specific social group/ethnicity that the film will be intended for as it would be suitable and interesting for the majority. We also have the hope it would attract people of other ages and gender who are generally interested in films of a thrilling nature. 

The secondary audience of this film would be people who watch this film with the primary audience; therefore in this case it might be girlfriends, friends or in some cases family members who are interested in the film from word of the youth. The film will essentially attract the lower/middle class as there might be some content that people from the higher class may find disturbing and may not approve of it. I believe if this film was released during winter it would be more successful due to the fact teenagers have difficulty making plans during the cold weather period so the cinema would be a good place to go with your friends/ partners at a reasonable price. 

I feel that we are targeting people under the C1 and C2 category as teenagers of 15+ don’t tend to have a substantial income and cinema is a low-priced place to go if you have a part time job. The money they earn can be spent on leisure and not for responsibilities that adults may have for example paying for bills/mortgages. I believe C1 and C2 are appropriate categories as the film may realise merchandise/commercial products which would boost the marketing of the film, meaning it is more associated with the target audience as it would appeal to them. I believe that our target audience would have common interests for example play sport, watch television and socialise with friends. By pursuing our film at teenagers who have collective interests would hopefully enhance the popularity of our film as it’s more likely to be enjoyable for all the demographics in the specific category. 

Black Swan Opening Sequence Analysis

Black Swan is an American psychological thriller/horror film starring Nateille Portman and directed by Darren Aronofsky. This opening in ways is similar to the beginning of the film ‘Se7en’ however I feel this sequence appears as a strong and powerful opening due to the use of camerawork, sound, mise en scene and editing. The main focus of this opening sequence is the drawing of an unknown picture which appears to be drawn with the use of black charcoal.

The camerawork used in this scene is a strong element which I feel making the opening sequence successful. Primarily close up and extreme close ups are used in this scene; these shots capture the detail and movement of each shot, although every shot appears as similar it doesn’t seem to get tedious as the positioning of the camera is slightly different in each shot changing the layout of the shot. There is little movement from the camera throughout the duration of the scene which focuses the viewer’s attention merely on the hand movement of the actor; there are a few tracking shots featured which follow the movements of the hand slowly. This particular movement of the camera is slow which co works among side of the music as the music appears as elegant and graceful. The sound in this scene ordinarily appears to be the same pace and tempo throughout. The use of the sound track (non-diegetic sound) is the only sound that appears in the scene as no diegetic sound is featured such as dialogue or ambience sound. This music continuously plays throughout the clip creating a sound bridge as it carries over from shot to shot emphasising continuity in the scene. This sound is well selected for the scene as it is related to the genre of the film, in addition this specific type of music could be considered as a convention of a thriller film as it creates a contrast between the imagery shown and the sound overplayed. When there is a change in the music in the scene the performance of the actress appears to become as more aggressive, we can detect this as the speed of her actions increase and the pressure applied seems to increase as flakes of the charcoal are appearing on the page. The change in pace and tempo of the music supports the change in actors performance.

A number of shots in this opening sequence appear as overplayed this could be to keep the viewers’ attention fixed as otherwise they could begin to lose interest as many of shots appear as similar. The cuts at first appear as slow and steady however when there is a change in the music and performance of the actress the speed of the cuts increases. The titles which are featured in this scene are written in black serif font to support the theme of this thriller. They gradually fade in and out layered over the camera shots. This sequence follows aspects of ‘Barthes Cultural Code’. The Hermeneutic includes the entire sequence as it avoids giving away any vital information to the audience for example who this mysterious character is and what is drawing. We aren’t given clues either as the camerawork is close up so we never see the full outcome of the image created. The Semantic Code indicates to the viewer that the film may be mystery based due to the fact there is a mystery created in the opening sequence which is only a small snippet of the film.